A New Challenge For Nasa

As NASA begins a much-needed overhaul, it must ensure that its managers do their job correctly. But cleaning up NASA's management is a task too big for the space agency to tackle alone.

What's needed is an independent investigation to find out what needs to be done to get management back in shape -- an investigation similar to the one headed by former Secretary of State William Rogers that's looking into the shuttle accident.

The purpose of this investigation would not be to bring NASA grinding to a halt. Rather, the consultants would be charged with laying out a framework to correct poor management practices and then actually making changes in the course of their investigation.

Because this would mean shaking NASA's management from top to bottom, the investigators would need unchallengeable authority -- presidential backing. Thus there would be no argument as they came up with specific changes and timetables for putting them into effect, both within NASA and in dealings with the space agency's contractors.

A lean squad of leading professionals would be ideal to undertake this challenge. Management specialists say that its five to seven members should include successful chief executives from large, mid-size and small corporations, accomplished government executives and elected officials and perhaps a prominent scholar. They would be backed by a staff with expertise in management information systems, organizational structures and technical matters.

This should be a temporary group; once NASA's management was revamped, the team would be disbanded. Specialists say the work could be done in about one year.

To get NASA off to a clean start, this investigative team should be formed now, at the same time that a new NASA administrator is being named. On that point, the new administrator should have proven management capabilities and bring to NASA a freshness that's expected in this time of cleansing.

Confirmation hearings under way in Congress for former NASA Administrator James Fletcher are a good example of why outside people are needed. Congress has not provided proper oversight of the space agency and the Fletcher hearings show that. The Senate is about to confirm him as head of NASA when audits show mismanagement and cost overruns during his tenure. Mr. Fletcher is too close to the problems that NASA is trying to cure to be reappointed.

Better managers will help make NASA's future challenges less daunting.